BY LAUREN WARNECKE AND MARY REARDON
Diving With Dance
Danceworks Performance MKE flatly refuses to be just one thing. The 26-year-old company known primarily for tongue-in-cheek dance theater rebranded several years ago with a desire to further diversify an already eclectic repertoire.
Lately, that has included scientific themes. Case in point: Biome is choreographer and longtime Danceworks dancer Gina Laurenzi’s deep dive into the majesty and fragility of the earth’s seas, informed by Laurenzi’s experiences scuba diving.
“When I started diving, I used to have a fear of the ocean,” says Laurenzi. “Then there was this transition to wonder and awe.”
Composer Allen Russell’s original score, coral-inspired visual design and Laurenzi’s characteristically liquidous groove work together to build a vibrant world of underwater flora and fauna.
“I have this hope that people forget they’re watching people and just get lost in it,” says Laurenzi.
Viewers may see images hinting at marine life – octopus and jellyfish tentacles, for example, or a slithering stingray – but it’s not a literal depiction of the sea. Nor is Biome an overtly political piece, though Laurenzi hopes it will spark conversations about how humans have impacted this ecosystem.
“In Wisconsin, you go on vacation and that’s what your experience of the ocean is,” Laurenzi says. “I wonder if that feeling that it’s so far away is why people fear it. Can we tap into that in a way that invites us in so we can learn to have a productive and healthy relationship with the ocean?”
Biome runs from Feb. 29-March 3 at Danceworks Studio Theatre.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Cat Power Sings Dylan
MARCH 2 | PABST THEATER
In 2022, singer-songwriter Power recorded a re-creation of Bob Dylan’s 1966 concert at Royal Albert Hall in London, resulting in the live album Cat Power Sings Dylan. See her perform the concert and enjoy some of the best in American folk/rock.
Juanes
MARCH 6 | THE RAVE
Genre-defying Juanes, born Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez, is a Colombian music legend loved for his rock and Latin rhythms. He also founded the Mi Sangre Foundation for landmine victim relief.
Home Grown: Cultivado Aqúi
MARCH 6-JUNE 7 | LATINO ARTS
This exhibit spotlights visual artists with Milwaukee roots working in a variety of mediums. “Home Grown” recognizes the next generation of creatives making a mark on the local and national art scenes. Participating artists attended Milwaukee’s Bruce-Guadalupe Community School in primary and middle school.
Diana Khoi Nguyen, Cindy Juyoung Ok and Nikki Wallschlaeger
MARCH 16 | WOODLAND PATTERN BOOK CENTER
Three acclaimed poets will read their own works, with themes ranging from grief to mental health to fragmented spaces. Wallschlaeger is from Milwaukee, and her upcoming book of poems, Hold Your Own, is a journey of seeking joy and self-acceptance as a Black woman. It’s out May 21.
Bel Canto Chorus Presents: Eternal Light
MARCH 17 | ST. MONICA PARISH
Bel Canto Chorus, founded in 1931, sings the world premiere of music director Richard Hynson’s original work And There Was Light, followed by Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna. Chorus alumni will lend their voices to mark the 32-year tenure of Hynson as well as assistant conductor Michelle Hynson.
L’ Appartement
MARCH 24-APRIL 14 | RENAISSANCE THEATERWORKS
When a couple arrives at a fancy Airbnb in Paris to rekindle their relationship, a brief encounter with their effortlessly cool, well-put-together hosts ignites passionate arguments. This 2019 comedy has been compared to HBO’s “The White Lotus.”
